The Jayhawks spent last weekend celebrating last season’s national championship one last time as the players and coaches received their championship rings.

But judging by the caliber of recruits in town, Kansas coach Bill Self and his staff are already thinking about the next potential championship.

Three Rivals.com five-star high school players — guard John Wall, forward Thomas Robinson and center Daniel Orton — made official visits to Kansas and watched last year’s team get their rings in a private ceremony.

Shay Wildeboor, recruiting expert and Jayhawkslant.com senior editor, described the three players as the “cream of the crop” of their class.

“It’s rare that you see a collection of players like this in one location during one weekend,” Wildeboor said. “It’s a huge testament to Bill Self and his staff. All of those guys are studs.”

Especially Wall. Rivals.com ranks him as the best player in the country. Wildeboor said the point guard from Raleigh, N.C., was exceptionally fast and a skilled passer.

He wasn’t short on praise for the other two, either. Wildeboor said Orton, from Oklahoma City, would be a great player once he matured offensively. Robinson, a power forward from New Hampshire, could also be an elite front-line player.

“To be honest with you, he’s probably the best rebounder in his class,” Wildeboor said. “He’s got a motor that never stops.”

And to think the Jayhawks were scheduled to have one more blue chip recruit in town for a visit, well, that’s almost unfair. Xavier Henry, a guard from Oklahoma City ranked as the third best player in the nation by Rivals.com, canceled his trip to Lawrence a few days before the weekend.

Henry has narrowed down his list of potential schools to two — Kansas and Memphis. Wildeboor said Henry was still expected to make an official visit to Lawrence next month.

“It’s my understanding that he’s going to go to Kansas for Late Night, visit Memphis the next weekend and then decide,” Wildeboor said.

It’s tough to say which players are Self’s top priorities because it is against NCAA rules for a coach to discuss recruiting at this stage. But Wildeboor said an educated guess can be made by looking at who he visited first.

Self started the recruiting period by traveling south to Oklahoma for an in-home visit with Henry. He has made five other in-home visits and Wildeboor said Self would be in Las Vegas today to see guard Elijah Johnson.

But Self won’t be able to sign all of his targets because he’s working with limited scholarships. Unless a current scholarship player transfers or leaves for the NBA draft, the Jayhawks only have three available scholarships for next season.

It will likely be a few more weeks before anyone commits to Kansas. Wildeboor said once that happens, the fun would truly begin.

“When one guy starts committing, they normally start the domino effect,” Wildeboor said. “That’s when things start to get exciting.”

C.J. GOES TO HOLLYWOOD

The Los Angeles Lakers signed former Jayhawk forward C.J. Giles to a non-guaranteed training camp contract earlier this month.

Self dismissed Giles from the program near the beginning of the 2006 season after repeated behavioral problems. The Seattle native then transferred to Oregon State, where he was also kicked off the team last season.

Giles decided to declare for the NBA draft this summer, but was not selected. The contract Giles signed with the Lakers guarantees he will be in training camp with the team.

Giles will most likely not play for Los Angeles in the regular season, though. NBA teams can only have a maximum of 15 players on their roster. Los Angeles already has 14 players under guaranteed contracts, and Giles is one of five non-roster invites headed to training camp.

BROWN BACK IN TOWN

A Kansas national championship basketball coach will take part in a fundraiser to benefit the Bert Nash Center Saturday night at Crown Toyota.

No, not Bill Self — although he will also be attendance. Larry Brown, Kansas’ coach when the Jayhawks won the national championship in 1988, is the event’s special guest. Danny Manning, named most outstanding player of the 1988 NCAA Tournament and current KU assistant coach, will also appear alongside Brown and Self.

The event is an annual fundraiser for the Bert Nash Center, Douglas County’s mental health center.

— — Edited by Rachel Burchfield